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Axel Dench. Jeremy Eaton. Jabari Hendrix. Anthony Reasons. Mike Leisure..... but from that era Matt Santagelo was the first great athlete guard of this era. He could penetrate, shot and leep. He was a step up in athletic ability and someone the other side had to account for.

I have already mentioned Batista but I can't believe no one has mentioned Frahm yet. He was a HUGE reason for our early cinderella succes in the NCAA tourney. I remember listening on the radio with Dennis Patchin calling so many threes from Frahm. Such an incredible three point shooter.

[QUOTE=YukonJack;1308137]I get emotional looking at past players over the last twenty years. I thought for this thread for each of us to choose a player from this magical era and say something about that player. One player per poster if that is okay.

Anthony Reason. He played with emotion and heart. I lost track of him, but I thinks I read somewhere he was in living in TN.

I have already mentioned Batista but I can't believe no one has mentioned Frahm yet. He was a HUGE reason for our early cinderella succes in the NCAA tourney. I remember listening on the radio with Dennis Patchin calling so many threes from Frahm. Such an incredible three point shooter.

I thought of Frahm (another Zag from SW Wa - Battle Ground HS), but Following the original poster's instructions I chose only one. I figured Frahm was low hanging fruit so I chose a lesser celebrated but important Zag - Z. Gourde. Walk-ons like Rem are Great Zags also.

I thought of Frahm (another Zag from SW Wa - Battle Ground HS), but Following the original poster's instructions I chose only one. I figured Frahm was low hanging fruit so I chose a lesser celebrated but important Zag - Z. Gourde. Walk-ons like Rem are Great Zags also.

Fragments is one of my favorites but I am also very fond of the first UW transfer and tough guy Eric Brady. He was a big part of the start of all of this. I vote for him.

Also from the start of the run, Quentin Hall. Small in stature but loved his attitude and general pestering of opponents, remember him jawing at the UConn guards in the first Elite 8, plus his shot is half of 'the runner!'

Plus he was the namesake for Q the bulldog who was a fixture in the athletic dept and around campus when I was there

I've considered projects centered around defining a "Zag." And, I'm not clear on the whole definition yet, but I know the picture alongside would be Turiaf.

How many D-1 athletes turn down NBA-sized checks as Juniors because they can't bear the thought of their roommate - Brian Michaelson, who barely played - couldn't stand the thought of Brian being the only senior standing there on the next senior night? That's heart, a heart so big the Lakers figured out it needed to be tied down and stapled just to keep it in.

Plus, I doubt the Kennel was ever louder than when he got the alley-oop about 4 minutes into the UW game to put us up 10 (approx.).

Whenever you find yourself on the side of the majority, it is time to pause and reflect.
Mark Twain.

My son Demian did a great job talking about my favorite player Adam Morrison so I'll go to my next favorite, Steph Gray. To me this guy stood for everything that a Zag is. When I think of toughness, and a player who is a warrior, I think of Steven Gray. I'll never forget the image I have of him running up court after a made basket with his braids flying behind him and the deep cut on his left cheek. My image of toughness. And what has irritated me the most throughout the years is analysts who have criticized Zag players over the year for NOT being tough. Shows how little those analysts really know. I think one of the most enjoyable things for me in the sport of basketball is seeing and proving the analysts and announcers wrong. And this year, this team has done that the best. Thank you Gonzaga!

My son Demian did a great job talking about my favorite player Adam Morrison so I'll go to my next favorite, Steph Gray. To me this guy stood for everything that a Zag is. When I think of toughness, and a player who is a warrior, I think of Steven Gray. I'll never forget the image I have of him running up court after a made basket with his braids flying behind him and the deep cut on his left cheek. My image of toughness. And what has irritated me the most throughout the years is analysts who have criticized Zag players over the year for NOT being tough. Shows how little those analysts really know. I think one of the most enjoyable things for me in the sport of basketball is seeing and proving the analysts and announcers wrong. And this year, this team has done that the best. Thank you Gonzaga!

Go Zags!!!

I remember him shutting down Clay Thompson in a duel, and after a particularly tough play, Thompson went to the floor and Gray straddling over him and looking down at him, said "not in my house".

I'd like to give a shout-out to Jeremy Pargo. A lot of Zags fans weren't sure if a combo guard from Chicago would be able to fit into our system. Not only did he excel at GU and became an NBA-caliber PG, he has been a great ambassador for GU at home and abroad. He always played with a cool fire. I never saw him get into any trouble on campus so he was either wise enough to keep his nose clean or wise enough to never get caught. I have also seen him at several recent east coast games where we've only had a couple hundred fans in attendance and he would always bring along some of his NBA buddies to share a piece of the GU experience with them. It should also be noted that he was by far the best dunker in GU history (sorry Ira), and he has possibly the most memorable dunk in Euroleague history. All-around nice guy and a definitive Zag in my book.

Maybe I'm going too far back, but everyone who put on a Zag uniform is part of the brotherhood. My years at GU included players such as Reed Schifferman, Ken Tyler, Greg Sten, Stew Morrill, Willie Moss, Carl Minns, to name several. Also wanted to give a shout out to Joe Clayton, who played a wicked sociology experiment on several buddies and me in the Bookstore.

Jeremy Pargo is without a doubt the best story. Some posters felt he didn't belong at GU because of his academic issues, but the coaches and GU admin saw a work ethic and a kid who just wanted to get off the streets of Chicago with all the gangs and murders. He delivered despite even one poster calling him a "punk."

I am glad that poster doesn't post here anymore.

Guys like Stepp and Knight whose careers were severely challenged due to injuries also hold a special spot in my heart.

Jeremy Pargo is without a doubt the best story. Some posters felt he didn't belong at GU because of his academic issues, but the coaches and GU admin saw a work ethic and a kid who just wanted to get off the streets of Chicago with all the gangs and murders. He delivered despite even one poster calling him a "punk."

I am glad that poster doesn't post here anymore.

Guys like Stepp and Knight whose careers were severely challenged due to injuries also hold a special spot in my heart.

Jeremy graduated, didn't he? That's all one needs to know. He represented GU well during his four years here.

Jeremy did graduate. As did his brother Jannero from Arkansas (although he had to go the JC route first). His mother did an incredible job raising them in circumstances that most of us will never see. I will never forget the stories of Few checking in on him regularly because he so concerned about his ability to adjust to surroundings that were so foreign to him. However, one of the early stories that I heard is that within hours of arriving at GU as a freshman, he was playing football with a bunch of regular students outside his dorm. The guy has and still has an affable personality. And he also managed to produce one of the greatest quotes in GU history....a standard that Hondo and I still live by: "You can't go wrong with a cheeseburger. You always know what you're getting with a cheeseburger."

I wish that more news channels and papers spent more time highlighting stories like the Pargo family, but it doesn't sell. But that's another discussion that doesn't belong on this board but that I think most of us would agree with.

I am bad with names but am sure several of you will know of whom I reference...I believe the Zag that most put GU on the map was the GU President that approved the hiring of Mark Few as GU's Head Men's Basketball Coach after Coach Monson moved on to University of Minnesota.

Many may disagree because he isn't a "player" but I think this was the most important decision in the history of GU's Men's Baskeball history.

With regards to a specific player, I chose Casey as the most influential player that carried the program forward to where it is today...all his hard work and enthusiasm and being in the right place at the right time made him a shinning example of what a Zag is!

I am bad with names but am sure several of you will know of whom I reference...I believe the Zag that most put GU on the map was the GU President that approved the hiring of Mark Few as GU's Head Men's Basketball Coach after Coach Monson moved on to University of Minnesota.

Many may disagree because he isn't a "player" but I think this was the most important decision in the history of GU's Men's Baskeball history.

With regards to a specific player, I chose Casey as the most influential player that carried the program forward to where it is today...all his hard work and enthusiasm and being in the right place at the right time made him a shinning example of what a Zag is!

I'm sure you're referring to Fr. Robert Spitzer, S.J., GU '74. Fr. Bob is one of the most dynamic and compelling public speakers I have ever heard. His book, "Healing the Culture" isn't light reading, but it's a heckuva book.

I'm sure you're referring to Fr. Robert Spitzer, S.J., GU '74. Fr. Bob is one of the most dynamic and compelling public speakers I have ever heard. His book, "Healing the Culture" isn't light reading, but it's a heckuva book.

I don't want to get into the formality of the argument, but would like to point out that it takes an active and compelling mind to meld and digest those topics for discourse.

Beer or wine helps during the discourse of weighty topics. I was not at all fazed when the bill for the 6 of us at our watch party exceeded $200...my beer tab alone was over $40. Thankfully, my wife joined us for the event, and drove home.

This is so tough. So many players come to mind. Mark Spink popped in first because of the image I still have in my mind of him battling future NBAer Mark Madson of Stanford. If I was coaching GU I'd show video of Spink to each and every player to illustrate what it means to compete. But, hey, GoZags beat me to it.

So many studs have put on the Zag uniform. So, I'm going with David Pendergraft. I'd splice in some Pendo with the Spink highlights. In my opinion, the closest the program came to having the streak of NCAA tournaments bids come to an end was the 2006-07 season. Remember arguably our best player Josh Heytvelt was suspended, and with no real marque wins other than #13 UW, of course, a loss in the WCC tournament would've probably sent the team to the NIT. Pendo stepped up big in the WCC tournament championship game to beat Santa Clara on their homecourt.

I feel Adam is the most vindicated, but shout out to Sam Dower from my home state of Minnesota. A decade or so after Monson leaves GU for MN, a player from MN spurns the Gophers to play for the Zags. Great talent, great passion, and proved we can recruit talent from anywhere in the country.

I'll go with one of the nicest persons I've ever met....Ronny Turiaf. He came to the Bismarck civic center while playing for the Yakima Sun kings. Ronny had just come back from his heart surgery. I personally had ben injured and was VERY unsure of my future. After the game me and my family waited to see if we could get his autograph. Not only did we get his autograph...but the guy sat there and talked to us for prolly 20 minutes. Again, prolly one of the nicest people I have ever met on God's green Earth. This world needs more like him.

As many GREAT ball players that GU has produced...they produce GREATER human beings.

He was at the San Jose games and still the same friendly Ronny -- happy to chat about old times / good times on the campus. He mentioned he stays in touch with Dan and they reminisce about what an amazing ride their collegiate playing careers were.

Austin Daye - the forgotten Zag. He was the first to leave 2 years early, so we didn't get to know him as well as others. 6' 10" with a feathery touch. Not sure why some don't like him, but he's a Zag through-and through. Maybe because he got that smirk when he got called for a foul? Was watching the tournament this year and a player jumped and tried to block a shot at the 3 point line and fouled the shooter. One announcer said, "You should never leave your feet to try and block a 3 point shot. When was the last time you saw someone block a 3 point shot?"

And I thought at that time, "You never saw Austin Daye play defense on the perimeter."